Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Amiko Yellow’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Amiko Yellow’, characterized by its compact, upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with bright yellow-colored ray florets; and excellent garden performance.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘AMIKO YELLOW’.

CROSS-REFERENCED TO CLOSELY RELATED APPLICATIONS

Title: Chrysanthemum Plant Named ‘Amiko White’.

Applicant: Dirk Pieters.

Filed: U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,833.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Amiko Yellow’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Amiko Violet’, not patented. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within a population of plants of ‘Amiko Violet’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in September, 2008.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2009. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Amiko Yellow’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Amiko Yellow’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Compact, upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant         habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with bright yellow-colored ray         florets.     -   5. Excellent garden performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from the parent, ‘Amiko Violet’, in ray floret color as plants of ‘Amiko Violet’ have violet-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from the Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Amiko White’, disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently, in ray floret color as plants of ‘Amiko White’ have white-colored ray florets that are initially light yellow in color.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Aluga Yellow’, disclosed in a U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 13/065,900. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Aluga Yellow’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more compact than plants         of ‘Aluga Yellow’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had lighter green-colored         leaves than plants of ‘Aluga Yellow’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Amiko Yellow’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium during the summer and autumn and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 25° C. to 30° C. and night temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 20° C. Plants were 20 weeks old when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Amiko Yellow’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of     Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Amiko Violet’, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at             temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at             temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days             at temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days             at temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; compact             plant habit with stems upright and outwardly spreading             giving a uniformly rounded appearance to the plant; very             freely branching habit, about 20 primary lateral branches             develop, each primary lateral branch with multiple secondary             branches; pinching enhances lateral branch development;             dense and full plant habit; moderately vigorous growth             habit.         -   Plant height.—About 45 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 50 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 20 cm to 22 cm. Diameter:             About 2 mm to 3 mm. Internode length: About 4 cm. Strength:             Strong. Texture: Pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Color:             Close to 145A.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 2.5 cm             to 4 cm. Width: About 2.5 cm to 3 cm. Apex: Rounded to             cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and             serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to             parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly             pubescent. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to             145A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 145B. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to 139C; venation,             close to 148C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 145B; venation, close to 147B to 147C. Petiole: Length:             About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Slightly pubescent and rough. Color, upper             surface: Close to 139C. Color, lower surface: Close to 145B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form;             inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc             and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant, pungent.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower mid-September in Belgium; flowering response time,             about six weeks.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about seven weeks in an outdoor nursery;             inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 20 inflorescences develop             per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 2 cm. Diameter: About             2.5 cm. Shape: Globular. Color: Close to 145A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 7 cm. Depth (height):             About 4 cm. Disc diameter: About 3 mm. Receptacle diameter:             About 3 mm. Receptacle height: About 2.5 mm to 3 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 144B.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 5 cm to 7 cm. Width: About 7 mm.             Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire.             Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Number of ray florets per inflorescence:             About 150 to 200 arranged in about ten whorls. Color: When             opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 12A. Fully             opened, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 12A; color does             not change with development.         -   Disc florets.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm to             1 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated; apices acute. Number of             disc florets per inflorescence: About 30 massed at the             center of the inflorescence. Color, immature: Close to 145A.             Color, mature: Close to 12A.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 25             arranged in two or three whorls. Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm.             Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded.             Base: Rounded to truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface:             Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to N137B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 3 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 4 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About             5 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Angle: About 30° from vertical.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent.             Color: Close to 145A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:             Not observed.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production have not been             observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate     temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Amiko Yellow’ as illustrated and described. 